Leaders Learn the Language
Another year with my 98-year-old dad and another important lesson to share. This time, let’s talk about language.
Leadership isn’t about rank or title; it’s about influence and impact.
To maximize our impact, we need to be excellent communicators. The way we show up, what we say, how we say it, and even what we don’t say, all affect those around us. As long as we’re awake, we’re communicating, even if it’s non-verbal.
I guarantee that the best person you’ve ever worked for showed up primarily as a human.
With Dad in England Summer of 2024
As I mentioned in my last post, I spent this past week sitting with my father in his care home in southern England. Dad reminisced about growing up with my aunt and uncle during our time together and their various adventures. We also watched tennis at Wimbledon, one of his favorite activities.
Between matches, Dad told me about a series of twelve books he read as a child, written by Arthur Ransome.
These books described the adventures of two groups of young friends in the Lake District. The girls called themselves The Swallows, and the boys, The Amazons, named after their sailing dinghies. These stories sparked Dad’s love for sailing, a passion he passed down to me. I spent many weekends sailing with him in various dinghies on the south coast.
Knowing the Language
Dad’s favorite sports, tennis and sailing, have unique languages. Understanding this terminology is essential to appreciate and participate in these activities fully. Arthur Ransome’s books included glossaries to help non-sailors understand terms like starboard, bow, stern, helm, and keel, among many others.
Ransome knew that his readers needed to understand the language to understand the sailing experience and, therefore, the novels. To communicate effectively, he needed to ensure his readers could visualize and conceptualize what he was describing.
Leaders work with different groups of people. Today might be the staff, another day customer facing, and next week, the board of directors. In my travels, I change work cultures several times a week. I might be working in the hotel industry one day, car manufacturing the next, and then with the police or firefighters by the end of the week. Adapting to the various languages spoken is key to doing my job effectively.
It is the leader’s responsibility – or the one who wants to communicate, to learn the listener’s language. Our job is to find a way to take our message and help the listener comprehend it by using concepts, word pictures, tone, and body language that reflects what they already know and understand.
Listen For New Languages This Summer
Many of you will be on vacation this summer. Perhaps you are visiting family, out on the lake, fishing at a hideaway camp, taking the kids to Disneyland, or on a road trip. Take mental notes of the new things you learn. Listen to how people talk and what they talk about. If you are a journaler, keep notes of what you notice.
You might want to try this exercise. Think of something you would like to share – an idea, a memory, a cause, whatever you choose. As you experience different groups or individuals over the summer, practice sharing that same thing in different ways with different people. Listen to them for a while first. Hear what matters to them and how they describe things, and then practice sharing what matters to you in the way they best understand – in their language.
We must intentionally improve our communication skills to be serious about influencing others.
Enjoy the summer! And next week I will deliver the ten tips on communication I mentioned last week.
